REGINA, April 19, 2010 - On behalf of the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Tom Lukiwski, Member of Parliament (Regina-Lumsden-Lake Centre), today announced funding for two professional development sessions organized by the Saskatchewan Publishers Group (SPG).
"A highly skilled workforce is a key component of the competitiveness of Canada's book publishers, especially in our fast-evolving technological environment," said Minister Moore. "Investing in collective learning opportunities is a smart way for our Government to support this industry and help it become more innovative and more effective."
"Saskatchewan benefits economically and culturally from a strong home-grown publishing sector," said Mr. Lukiwski. "Our Government is proud to help organizations like the Saskatchewan Publishers Group develop industry-wide activities to share best practices, learn about new business models, and ultimately strengthen the capacity of Canadian publishers to produce and promote Canadian books."
"With the help of the Government of Canada, SPG is able to bring together cutting-edge presenters from all over Canada and publishers from Saskatchewan and the Western provinces for education and networking," said Co-Executive Directors Brenda Niskala and Jillian Bell. "We are grateful for the support and look forward to many years of working with the Canada Book Fund to strengthen Canadian culture by supporting and encouraging the creative industries."
The Saskatchewan Publishers Group is a non-profit organization representing local publishers and is dedicated to promoting the provincial book publishing industry. Funding was used to hold the SPG Professional Development Clinic and the Tri-Province Forum.
The Government of Canada has provided funding of $10,750 under the Collective Initiatives component of the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP). This program of the Department of Canadian Heritage seeks to support the Canadian book industry in building the skills and tools necessary to ensure its ongoing strength, viability, and capacity to invest in the development and promotion of Canadian books. As part of its renewal, BPIDP has been streamlined and renamed the Canada Book Fund to reflect the evolution of its role from being the supporter of a developing industry to reinforcing a mature industry that brings Canadian books to readers everywhere.
Matthew Deacon
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
819-997-7788
matthew.deacon@pch.gc.ca
Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca
